TCFGBH Chapter 33

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Xia Yan’s small head was filled with big confusion.

According to Chinese criminal law, the maximum penalty for spreading rumors is defamation, which could lead to a prison sentence of up to three years. Fang Xihua had hired paid posters to slander him, and because he already had a murky history, it was easy for people to believe the falsehoods.

Given the special nature of the entertainment industry, Fang Xihua would most likely receive a symbolic punishment—perhaps being detained for ten days or so, followed by a public apology, and the matter would be brushed under the rug.

Of course, his reputation would be ruined, making it impossible for him to continue working in the industry.

However, having been in the industry for years, Fang Xihua had probably saved up a decent amount of money. Even after paying off the penalties for breach of contract, he should still have a few million left—certainly enough to live comfortably, even if not luxuriously.

There was no need to take such a big risk to run away.

Xia Yan opened Weibo.

Since Fang Xihua had just been arrested and still needed to be interrogated, the official report only included vague and simple terms, making it impossible to determine his crime.

But the second-generation rich kids wouldn’t keep Fang Xihua’s secrets.

They all came out to celebrate the moment he was arrested, bluntly revealing the truth.

As people pieced things together, they were shocked to discover that Fang Xihua had scammed over 50 million yuan in the name of Xia Yan’s friends, selling luxury goods to accumulate money, then went abroad for plastic surgery and even bought a large apartment in the capital.

In contrast, Xia Yan was still living in a two-bedroom apartment.

It was heartbreaking to hear and tear-inducing to witness.

Given the nature of the second-generation crowd, they might have just let it go since they had already given the gifts. After all, who asks for gifts back?

—Though some of those gifts were meant to be passed on to Xia Yan through Fang Xihua.

But this was just too low.

They couldn’t stoop to such shamelessness.

However, Fang Xihua, the fool, didn’t understand the concept of quitting while ahead and kept flaunting, which infuriated the second generation so much that they sent him to jail out of sheer frustration.

Even though the luxury items were worth over 50 million, there would inevitably be losses when selling them off.

Now, even if they sold Fang Xihua, he wouldn’t be able to pay it back. After failing to obtain Xia Yan’s forgiveness, he panicked and tried to flee.

However, before he even boarded the plane, the police caught him.

Xia Yan read in stunned silence.

Those rich playboys were all so bold and outgoing, not the kind of people who were too reserved to give gifts directly. Why would they need someone to pass them along? It was completely unnecessary.

If it was because of a secret crush… He counted.

Ridiculous—there were a total of eighteen victims.

The biggest fool was Xing Zheng, who got scammed five times, totalling 17 million yuan. The others were a bit smarter, with the least getting scammed once and the most twice.

The gifts ranged from diamond cufflinks worth tens of thousands to watches worth millions.

For one or two people, Xia Yan might have shamelessly thought they had a crush on him, but for eighteen? Forget it, he wasn’t some irresistible cash cow.

It was likely just brotherhood.

He was the poorest in the second generation circle, so they found a way to help him financially without hurting his pride, using Fang Xihua as a middleman.

Xia Yan believed he had discovered the truth, but the online community was celebrating.

【As expected from my wife—so charming, hehe.】

【Not gonna lie, with my net worth of just three million, I don’t think I deserve to call Yan Yan my wife.】

…

【So everyone’s just assuming Yan Yan’s the submissive one now? He and Tu Xi… okay, fine, I guess he does seem more like the shou. Those pictures of him being princess-carried never get old.】

Xia Yan: “…” Damn it, he could carry Tu Xi too!

【Fang Xihua is terrifying! A two-faced liar.】

After Fang Xihua’s downfall, except for a few die-hard fans, the rest quickly went from shock and disbelief to accepting reality and unfollowing him in just an hour.

After all, with the police involved, his guilt was basically confirmed.

They watched as he rose to fame, hosted grand banquets, and now his world had collapsed.

Xia Yan couldn’t help but sigh.

Perhaps it’s true that one wrong step leads to another.

Of course, Fang Xihua’s troubles didn’t just affect him. Every movie he acted in, every show he appeared in, and every brand he endorsed got blacklisted—his face wasn’t allowed to be shown.

The movie Youth Diary had been in theaters for over two months and was close to being taken down, so the impact was minimal.

But the ones who suffered the most were the director of the variety show *Heartbeat* and the clothing company ‘Xishi.’

Heartbeat hadn’t even aired yet, and one of its guests had already fallen from grace. The director not only had to re-edit the episodes but also needed to find someone to replace Fang Xihua.

‘Xishi’ was in an even worse position.

At the time, they looked down on Xia Yan and changed their endorsement plans at the last minute, offending Tu Xi. They chose Fang Xihua as their spokesperson, but on the same day they released the promotional photos, Xia Yan trended because of his collaboration with Beaufort, causing luxury items to sell out.

And as for them? Nobody cared.

People in the industry had long mocked them for their poor judgment, throwing away a diamond to pick up a pebble. Now it was even worse—after investing so much into Fang Xihua, he crashed.

They had previously relied on fan support to sell some clothes, but now they faced a flood of return requests.

The company was hit hard.

When they shamelessly tried to approach Xia Yan and Tu Xi again for endorsements, both of their managers flatly refused. The manager who initially rejected them had already been fired after receiving a harsh scolding from upper management.

Xia Yan’s path to stardom suddenly became clear.

He had become a red-hot rising star, with countless directors, variety shows, and endorsements begging to work with him. The company’s higher-ups were now treating him like royalty, giving him free rein to do whatever he wanted.

Company executives: “…”

With so many rich kids supporting you, we’d look foolish trying to make things difficult for you.

Even the vice president who had helped Fang Xihua steal Xia Yan’s opportunities showed up at Xia Yan’s door with expensive gifts, grovelling and profusely thanking him. It was a masterclass in flattery.

Xia Yan didn’t particularly like them.

He wasn’t fond of the company either—it was rotten to the core. He only stayed because the plot demanded it.

“Wang Dazhuang,” Xia Yan fiddled with his phone, “Once I’m gone, you should switch companies. Don’t hang yourself on this tree.”

Wang Dazhuang, who had been sulking, was even angrier when he heard that: “Spit! What kind of nonsense are you saying? Kids’ words carry no harm.”

“I’m already 20. How am I still a kid?”

“Twenty in body, twelve in mind.”

Two days had passed since Xia Yan had been attacked online and then vindicated. After that night in the same bed, he’d spent the entire morning in a daze, avoiding eye contact with Tu Xi.

Fortunately, Tu Xi was considerate, knowing not to push him too far, and politely excused himself after breakfast.

Wang Dazhuang still hadn’t let go of the fact that Xia Yan had intentionally self-deprecated online. For days, he’d been wearing a sour expression, like someone owed him millions.

Xia Yan didn’t have much of a choice!

He needed to take a hit to his image.

From the moment he arrived in this world, his goal had been to complete the missions and return the world to its original course. However, he was stuck on the last task.

The Heartbeat production team needed a new guest, and filming was on hold.

The director called and carefully asked Xia Yan if they could delay filming for another week, adding three more days to the original seven-day shoot.

But the live broadcast needed to be moved up to maintain the buzz.

Since Xia Yan was preparing to “cheat,” of course, he didn’t refuse.

If he didn’t refuse, neither would Tu Xi.

With the two most popular guests on board, the ratings were guaranteed. Naturally, the other guests stayed on to ride the wave of popularity.

“In the next variety show, you should be nicer to Tu Xi. Be gentler,” Wang Dazhuang sighed. “It’s not easy for Tu Xi to be with you.”

Flying back in the middle of the night on a private jet to handle his lover’s scandal.

He was practically a model boyfriend!

“…” Xia Yan thought for a moment and suddenly blurted out, “Wang Dazhuang, what do you think Tu Xi sees in me?”

Wang Dazhuang didn’t even hesitate: “Your face.”

Xia Yan: “…”

“Your personality is fine for friendship, but as a lover… you have no sense of boundaries. Maybe you don’t mean to cheat or have intimate contact with others, but…”

Wang Dazhuang paused, glancing at Xia Yan’s eyes, which were clouded with emotions even as he stared at his cup.

Damn it! No wonder he was so irresistible.

“Sigh!” Wang Dazhuang sighed again. “So, what’s the deal with your secret account? And the guy in the photo—what’s your relationship with him?”

Xia Yan looked innocent: “It’s normal to have a side account when surfing the web.”

Not only did he have a one side account, but he also had five. Bet you didn’t see that coming.

“…”

“And as for the curly-haired guy…” Xia Yan was sorry, but he’d forgotten the name. “I don’t know him, just picked him up at a bar. No contact since.”

Wang Dazhuang clutched his chest, feeling that if he spent a few more years managing Xia Yan, he’d die young.

He sighed, unable to hold back: “Have you even thought about seriously being with Tu Xi?”

Xia Yan… Xia Yan looked away.

Wang Dazhuang: “…” Scumbag.

“By the way, Tu Xi’s mother came by yesterday. She said she wanted to talk to you.” Wang Dazhuang calmed himself and handed over a business card.

Because of Xia Yan’s knack for attracting attention, Wang Dazhuang was very strict about managing his contact information, so outsiders couldn’t easily reach him.

It seemed Tu Xi’s proud mother had gotten anxious and didn’t want to wait for an investigation, so she went straight to the company to find Wang Dazhuang and demanded that he bring Xia Yan out.

It was clear from a glance that she wasn’t here to make friends.

And with Xia Yan’s personality…

If the two met, it would definitely be explosive.

Wang Dazhuang, with his silver tongue, managed to bluff her out. After thinking about it all night, he decided Xia Yan had the right to know.

It was his relationship, after all.

Wang Dazhuang advised, “Tu Xi and his mother seem pretty fierce. Maybe you should tell Tu Xi about it and let him handle his own family matters.”

Xia Yan’s eyes lit up bit by bit.

Tu Xi’s mother.

Could this lead to a “Here’s a billion dollars—leave my son” scenario?

He was all for it!